Case of the Black Cobra Symbol
by ghosttrees
Summary: Sequel to "Escape to the Woods". Thanks to the "Gift of the Proxy" from Slenderman, it has given Lyra Capricorne superhuman senses like him to fight. But their love life together is interrupted when they are forced to investigate the disappearance of missing children under a corporation. Will their strength combined be enough to track the system's whereabouts?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody guess what? After much consideration, I've decided to make a sequel of "Escape to the Woods"! I'm not sure how long this will take me, but one thing's for sure-I will finish it! :D**

**Chapter 1- Missing Children**

"Oh no, not another one!" Lyra exclaimed as she read the paper at the breakfast table one morning. She was holding her French toast and stopped mid-bite when she had noticed the headline. It read, 'ONE MORE CHILD GOES MISSING AFTER DARK'.

"What is it?" asked Slenderman across from her who was sipping a cup of earl grey tea. "Oh wait-don't tell me: Is it perhaps involving another child?"

"Bingo," she smirked and passed him the paper over the large table. He took it and examined it thoroughly which contained underneath a black and white photograph of a girl in pigtails beaming toothily up at them. She looked no more than eight.

He emitted a sigh. "Well Lyra, I don't know what to say. This can't be happening- they're disappearing at an alarming rate in the city!"

"It's horrible how men would just take small children and do who-knows-what to them. Some, but not all of the children they have taken seem to be the type that wander the streets around with no home. And also, how do they keep doing it without getting caught?"

"I don't see how they can pull off something as crafty as this, even in the dead of night. They don't have the same type of power you and I have which allow us to teleport and reappear at short distances. I would love to see the disguise that would fool those policemen."

"All the same, I wish they would catch them because when I had gone into the last time, there seemed to be "missing" signs all over the bulletin." Lyra paused, thinking when she herself had been little and living on the streets. Though occasionally there were kind people who would give her food and a place to rest, she was mostly on her own. If she hadn't met Colin, aka Slenderman, she would never have been alive.

"Was it hard to obtain the paper from the city?" he asked as he took another sip of tea.

"Oh nothing except the 'missing' children. There were actually some mothers I saw who were posting them up. They didn't seem very well, and twice I saw a mother crying." She added sadly.

Slenderman looked sympathetically at her and seemed to stare hard at the paper before him. It pained him to think that the mothers that had lost their little young ones were probably at home at this moment sobbing uncontrollably while they sat on a lonely couch clutching their faces. He emptied the last of his earl grey in one gulp before standing up suddenly while Lyra did the same.

"Do you sense what I sense?" she asked almost flippantly.

"Oh I think I do," said Slenderman making a slight noticeably smile on his pale face, "it's time for Reparation work!"

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Lyra was a twenty year-old girl with pale white rosy skin with dark black thick hair that reached to her waist in loose waves and green eyes the color of spring. When she was very little, a fire in her house killed both her parents leaving her alone to fend for herself since the age of 19. At the age of 19, a group of men decided to try to kidnap her into prostitution. But it was until after she realized that they were after her family fortune. That was when she met Slenderman. He had saved her from those men by allowing her to stay in his manor where they had fallen in love with each other, but were interrupted by their daily life when Lyra had been bribed to sign the contracts in the bank for the men in order to save her aunt's life. During that time, Slenderman had given a bit of his power to at least detain the men further until he arrived to save them. Since then, the _Gift of the Proxy_ as he called it, made her grow a little each day.

She now had extra-human senses that normal humans wouldn't have, and, apart from feeling safer and in control, it also gave her the ability to grow white claws as well as mild teleportation. She had grown capable that Slenderman had offered that she could help him in Reparation work, which was a trial for criminal people who had to venture into the forest to retrieve eight pages while being stalked by them. During the time the men were stalked, it was to have them relive a nightmare that they had bestowed upon their victims.

Lyra didn't have a daunting or creepy face. In fact, she was beautiful; but that would only calm the victim down, the reverse opposite of what they needed, so she remained hidden. Instead, she did things like use her coiled tentacles at will to scare humans unexpectedly. She would simply hide behind a bush unseen and through the bushes, stick them out causing them to trip and fall. If it was dark time, she would actually even poke them with her tentacles on the shoulder, sometimes lightly enough to make the human startled out of their minds. Lyra found to her astonishment that she enjoyed Reparation work alongside him. After all, they were getting rid of society's most horrendous human beings.

The human that was searching for the pages was rather weak; he had only gotten two. He had a bald head with a diamond earring and small watery eyes that stumbled a lot even when Lyra wasn't doing anything. Apart from having the ability to sprout tentacles, she was able to tell what crimes he had committed just by searching through his mind briefly. She wasn't able to read minds or anything, but simply see what terrible crime they committed. The bald man had once killed another human before taking his wallet full of money in the dead of night. Slenderman had eventually gotten him an hour after he found the second page where his static gaze paralyzed the man to death as he strangled him. The man slumped to the floor unconscious where he had fallen with a look of utter horror on his face.

"That was too easy," said Lyra as they both walked away into the forest and passing a small brook. "By the way, what are you doing to all the bodies of those criminals?"

"Well, I usually bury them because they would just take up all the space, no matter how big the forest is. _Things from Earth must be returned back to Earth_ as a saying goes in biology, so I am burying them to give nutrients to the trees and other vermin that thrive off of them-it's a natural part of life."

Lyra laughed. "Well if you put it that way, then I guess you're right."

The pair decided to scout the forest some more in order to see any new plants or animals that had arrived in summer. It was June and the forest was as alive as when she had first come here months back. Their jaunt outside consisted of finding that the apple trees that were scattered over the north side of the valleys were beginning to ripen. Already a few had ripen and were on the fresh green grass which Lyra picked up. She thought that if she got enough apples she would be able to make a nice apple pie back at home. Though she had no experience in cooking, she figured there would be great cook books back at the kitchen that would tell her how to prepare one.

"Wow, they look better bloomed in the summer," Slenderman remarked and then unexpectedly took Lyra's hands, spinning her around in his arms before they both collapsed laughing on the soft prairie, "But you my dear, look more attractive."

Lyra blushed a bright pink smiling, "you know I always turn red whenever you say something as nice as that," she said.

"I know," said Slenderman grinning mischievously at her, "That's why I do it. You look twice as gorgeously adorable when you do." He bent to give her a kiss on her forehead making her all the more blush. Even though they had been together for some time, she could never help blush when they were like this.

She gave him a kiss in the cheek in return, "Well, should we go back to the manor now, I have a surprise to give you."

"A surprise?" said Slenderman looking at her curiously, "what kind of surprise?" Lyra grinned.

"Well, something that concerns apple pie."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry it has been a while since I last updated but I had difficulty deciding what the events my story should contain are and how I should shape it. But without further ado, here it is!**

**Chapter 2-**

"Wow Lyra I didn't know you could prepare apple pie so good, have you ever prepared any before?" asked Slenderman when they had gotten to bed after an eventful dinner.

"Actually no I haven't," she said. "I have always been on my own ever since I was small, but I guess I might have picked up a few things here and there while on the run."

Slenderman said nothing, seemingly aware that Lyra's past for her was like uneven ground on a road to tread on. Instead, he changed the topic to the problems they had seen on the paper. "What do you think is behind the whole child kidnapping?"

"Well, I don't know-I doubt anybody knows, but word that's going around is that this area is not the only one with kidnappings. The other time I went into town several days ago, I noticed a section under that that made it seem bizarre."

Slenderman looked surprised, "what was it that made it seem bizarre?"

"It was a fact that not just Britain, but Norway, Lithuania, Ukraine, and other countries that have had the same problem. I mean, it's-strange that it is happening in other areas as well?"

Slenderman looked thoughtful for a moment, seemingly staring off into the darkness, "It almost seems like they are related."

"That's exactly what I thought!" exclaimed Lyra delighted, but then she stopped, "But…there's one problem: how are they occurring at the same time? It can't be the same person!"

"Or maybe it's not human," said Slenderman darkly, "I wish I knew who it was, otherwise I would have them suffer like they did to the children's' mothers."

"Not human? Do you think that it maybe could be something like a monster or something like you?" she asked.

For some reason this made Slenderman laugh out loud, his sudden burst of laugh startled her as his voice shook. She stared at him bemused for she had never heard him laugh like that before.

"Not.. …not a monster!" he struggled to say through a guffaw, holding his sides.

"What is it? Did I miss some funny joke?" she asked.

Slenderman finally stopped laughing enough to answer her, though still smiling. "No, it was just the fact that you said that it was either a monster or me. Most people would have said the opposite of that, but you chose not to categorize me in the monster section, even though I am."

Lyra looked taken aback, but you're not a monster." She said seriously, "I mean-ok you're not completely human either, but you're not evil at all like them; in fact, you are the complete opposite: kind, caring, and compassionate, which many people I encountered, didn't have." Lyra's lips were suddenly met with the Slenderman's as he stole a kiss and brought his forehead to rest against hers as though at an embrace.

"Thank you Lyra Capricorne, for even though my sight can make any who have not seen me cower, I am happy to know that the one person who I love most in this world does not look at me in disgust."

Lyra gave him a passionate kiss, "You could never be ugly to me."

They both settled back to the bed together embracing, with their heads together as Slenderman brought his hand to gently caress her silky wavy hair.

"I love you," he whispered in her before she fell asleep.

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The next morning, Lyra woke with a start suddenly. She didn't know why she had woken up so early, but she felt the distinct impression that something was wrong. She adjusted her eyes a bit without getting up, to find Slenderman next to her, still sound asleep. His face was a little lower than hers and he had one arm over her, still fast asleep. She felt as if it was around six in the morning, judging by the fact that there was little light outside and the faint sound of chirping from birds.

Nothing looked suspicious, but it _felt_ suspicious to her in words she could not explain. She knew that she had some of the powers Slenderman had and that sometimes she could sense things that he could as well, but it was the first time she became aware of something he didn't notice.

She had the distinct feeling that there was something new in the air…something that hadn't appeared before…something in the forest…

Somebody was in the forest.

Ever since Slenderman gave her the Proxy's Gift, she had been able to sense whenever some people were nearby, and it had come in handy too-as long as she was within the range of the forest, she could sense them within their boundaries, and the aura she was feeling from someone seemed to be coming from the west side of the mountain-just away from where the the Eternal Field of Flowers was located. Who on earth was at the forest at this time of day and why was she all of a sudden feeling it when-

"Wha..!"

Lyra gasped in surprise as there was a sharp nip near her collarbone. It didn't hurt, but it simply surprised her. Slenderman had woken and looked at her with pretended innocence.

"Colin, what was _that_ for? You scared me?"

"Oh, forgive me," said Slenderman with a pretended innocence as he sat up, "I was just asleep when I woke to a delicious looking collarbone staring right at me-and well, I just couldn't help myself!" he said cheekily, "good morning, Precious."

Lyra blushed, "well, you should be more careful next time, suppose you actually eat me?"

"Oh, but haven't I already done that?" he said sexily, making her blush even more and slap him on the shoulder playfully.

"Well, in that case, would her Highness want a kiss to make it better?" he added with a cute devilish smile.

Lyra sighed, but could not help smiling. "Alright Mr. Charming, I woke you, but I have to ask you something important: did you wake up to feel anything out of the ordinary?"

Slenderman's face changed to puzzlement then stopped as if he was hearing something from far away. He suddenly looked at her in surprise.

"There's someone here!"

"Oh, already caught on, have you?" she said jokingly, "we should go see what it is."

Lyra wanted to know more than ever to find out who the person was more than Slenderman though, he assured her that it was an innocent person and not a criminal. She offered to go see anyway who it was; she couldn't help but feel like she had to.

"Alright," said Slenderman, "but be careful."

"Be careful?" asked Lyra shocked, as she walked down the marble stairs outside "It's an innocent person!"

"Well, all the same, be careful." He said, and gave her a kiss on the lips before she teleported down.

Every step she took westward, the aura got clearer and clearer. She walked past bushes, darted through trees, and twice, she had to jump over creeks. She teleported to the other side of the river since it was too wide, and because she wasn't about to go through it after what had happened months ago.

After a time, she stopped; sure that she had reached the right place. She could feel someone nearby and she hid behind a tree as to be unseen. The person hadn't seen her just yet-that was good. She heard bushes up front rustling as though trying to look for something. With a deep breath, she turned to look who it was and gasped.

It was a little boy.

He looked no younger than nine years old with innocent brown eyes bedraggled clothes and a white face that was smeared with dirt as though he hadn't showered in days. His brown hair was no better-it was stuck up in all angles as though he repeatedly tugged it in nerves and there were cobwebs and leaves visible in the strands.

He looked nervous as though he expected somebody to come up and attack him. His brown eyes seemed to scan the forest and twice, Lyra could tell that he wanted to call out for somebody. A sudden twig snapped under her foot and she cursed in her head for her stupidity.

The boy whirled around at the sound of the twig snapping, but Lyra was already behind the tree soundlessly.

"Who is it?" called out the boy with a hoarse voice. He was trying to sound brave, but Lyra could tell he was scared. With a small sigh, she stepped into the clearing.

"It's ok, it's only me," she said trying to sooth the small child in front of her. He looked at her warily, and Lyra noticed that in his hand, he was clutching a rock as though he was going to lob it at her in case she tried doing anything to him.

"Who…who are you?" he asked cautiously to her, "Why were you sneaking up on me?"

Lyra took a small step forward and was surprised that the child did not take one back. When he saw her, some of his fear must have disappeared. "My name is Lyra Capricorne-actually it's Lyra Silvestri now," she added with a small chuckle, "and I wasn't sneaking up to hurt you, I only wanted to see who you were."

"But what are you doing here?" he asked, pushing back his scraggly hair to gaze up at her green eyes.

"I live here."

The boy's brown eyes widened in surprise, "no you can't live here; nobody lives in this forest!"

"Well, _I_ do, and besides, what are you doing here? And what's your name?"

The boy didn't look like he wanted to answer, but finally said, "Markl."

Are you lost?" she suggested.

The boy looked like he wanted to cry, but he said in a shaky voice, "None of your concern." This made Lyra narrow her eyes in confusion, "but don't you belong to the city? I mean, your clothing looks like it came-

Suddenly she stopped. There were sniffs coming from the boy, Markl and before she knew it, he started bawling.

"Oh no-I…I'm sorry," she said helplessly unsure what to do, "please don't cry!" she wailed. She kneeled and hugged the boy while rubbing his back, "what is it, what happened?"

He continued to bawl like a small child he was, but Lyra suddenly heard through his sobs unintelligible words, "M…mean guy…ch…chased m…m…me…promised m…me c…candy first…"

What do you mean?" said Lyra suddenly. "A man scared you?"

"Y-yes!" Markl sniffed, though Lyra's comforting seemed to make him feel better. "A mean mean man with a black h…hat and blue j…jacket!"

Lyra thought hard. It almost sounded like the boy was trying to run away from a man that was attempting to lure him. "Did you know what his face looked like?"

"N…no…had on c…clown mask and when I told I didn't w…want candy…he tried grabbing me!"

"Oh poor you!" she said sympathetically and comforted him by patting his messy head and rubbing small circles on his back. "And Markl…where were you when it happened?"

"In…in a small town at night! He was chasing me for two days, then I found y…you!"

Lyra gasped. Somebody had tried kidnapping him and-then a suddenly horrible memory flashed in her head of the kidnappings. _Just like the headlines said…_she thought with horror. She stood up, and took the child by the hand.

"Markl, don't worry, you are safe here. But you must follow me and trust me." She said as she glanced around as though somebody might crash into the bushes at any moment. She didn't know how, but her senses were tingling as though there was an aura far away that was coming near.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked afraid.

"I'm not going to hurt you, don't worry, but you must come with me to my house, because the man might come back," she said. It wasn't very likely he would come this way without being interjected by Colin, but she needed to bring this kid to a safe place and get him cleaned up.

"O..ok," he said uneasily, looking up at her. He looked so little and helpless.

"Markl, I need you to hold my arm really tight," she spoke calmly, "In order for us to get out of this place, I need you to hold on to me."

Markl looked even more unsure, but did as he was told. "What are you gonna do?"

"I am going to teleport."

Without so much as a response from him, she disappeared both of them from the spot.

**Ooohhh what is going to happen? And will the boy be scared when he sees Slenderman? Find out in the next update! **

The


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay another chapter in! Though this chapter isn't probably very exciting but anyway her it is. Remember to read and review! :D**

**Chapter 3- Strange News**

When she took the boy's hand, there was a small flash as they both appeared on the marble steps of the manor, miles away from the forest clearing where they had stood. As soon as they got clear ground, Lyra looked quickly down at Markl to make sure he was okay. As she expected, as soon as it was over, the boy swayed a little on the spot but remained standing, though he looked utterly perplexed and looked up at Lyra incredulously.

"Wha…what happened?" he asked completely baffled as he stared wildly around at a place he did not recognize-their home, "where am I?"

"Don't worry, Markl your safe here-this is where we live-Silvestri Manor. I teleported us here because it was necessary to get out of the forest."

"W-we?" Markl said again confused, "you mean you don't live here alone?"

"Well…" began Lyra, then suddenly stopped in unease. If the boy, Markl were to see Slenderman, there would be no telling how he would act. The most she would expect from seeing him would be fear and terror and who knew what he would do?" she had to consider very carefully what she had to say to the kid so as not to get him so petrified.

"Er…yes…he's here but…he's awfully shy around people." She invented wildly and casting her eyes warily over the manor as though worried that Colin might come out. She had to talk to Colin before anything else would happen. She didn't want to frighten the kid already more than what had happened to him, "Markl, do you think you can do one favor for me?" she asked kindly, "do you think you can stay here for a moment? I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" he asked almost scared for her to leave him.

"I need to go tell this person that we are coming in-he gets scared too…"she finished, hoping that it would reassure the kid somewhat. Then before she could berate herself, she started off towards the doors without so much as a backwards glance, trusting the child to stay where he was.

It was lucky that she hadn't wasted any time in coming through the door for she came face-to-face with Colin who stood standing at the doorway.

"Oh, good," she said grateful that she didn't have to search him out or go up the stairs, "don't go out because-

"Yes, yes I know," he said as he seemed to give her an all-knowing smile, "I know that you brought the person here, and I do know that he is a small child. What is his name?"

"Markl," she replied back, "but you can't meet him yet, he's still in a shock."

"In a shock?"

"Yes, I found him in the forest all alone and came up to him; he looked scared and timid, as though I would attack him and when I asked him, he said he was running away from somebody!"

Slenderman looked very concerned, "what happened to him?"

"He said that a man dressed up in a clown costume tried luring him with candy just so he could take him away then after he told me his story, he began to cry!"

Slenderman didn't say anything for a few seconds deep in thought. Then as though suddenly deciding something he looked at her quickly. "I must not be seen." He said in a decision. "If he were to see me then I would cause him great distress. I suppose that's what you came over here for to see me?" he added smartly.

"Actually I did."

"Smart thinking" he said as he gave her a small kiss. "But what will happen to him now? He has to stay here."

"I know. Right now, he needs to get cleaned up because he's a mess and he needs some rest. He had wandered the forest for who knows how long."

With that, the pair promised that as soon as he was well, they would return him to whoever was his true guardian.

"Markl, you can come in" she said as she approached his forlorn figure standing nervously on the steps as she opened the oak doors after Colin had left, "Come here, it's alright!"

He seemed unsure at first, but followed her over to the inside. Lyra only hoped that she would be able to get some answers from him after she had made him comfortable.

"Now I know this is a little hard for you to understand, but you have to stay here for a while," she said as she put both hands on his small shoulders and peering concernedly at him, eye level. "There have been bad people around that have taken little kids like you when they are all alone. You were lucky that I had found you."

"I…I did hear that bad guys had taken little kids," he said slowly, "Y…you aren't bad-are you?" he seemed to look very scared at having asked that question to her almost as if he thought she was trying to hurt him. But then again, after what had happened to him, who could blame him?"

"I promise you, Markl that I am not a bad person. I only want you to be safe so that no bad people can hurt you."

"Promise?" he said in a small voice with his honey brown eyes widening. He looked earnest but adorable.

"I promise," she said with a smile that seemed to reassure him. "Now you look dirty, if you follow me…

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For the next hour, she assisted Markl in the bath and picking out clothes for him. She had been worried that she wouldn't find anything that would fix his size, but to her complete surprise when she opened the wardrobe, she found an assortment of things for him to wear that looked perfect for his fit. Apparently like the kitchen, whatever the person needed, it equipped them with it. She chose a blue shirt with dark pants and set it on his bed so that he would be able to wear it then stepped out of the room for the remainder of the time until she heard him come out.

Lyra looked up jolted from her thoughts to see Markl dressed in his new clothing. The old one had been chucked out. He looked clean, completely devoid of dirt and she could see that he had small freckles on his pale face. But the most startling thing she noticed was that his hair which she had thought was dark brown was actually blond.

"Y..your hair…it's-

"Blond. I know." He finished for her as he took a seat next to her. "Can I ask you something er…mam?"

Lyra smiled, "you don't have to call me that, you can just call me Lyra if you want. What is it, is something bothering you?"

The boy took a pause, looking away as though embarrassed suddenly about something, but then, "No…nothing it's just that…it's just that, why are you helping me?"

Lyra stared at him for a moment as though surprised he should ask that. "What's wrong, you needed help because you were alone and afraid because-

"No, I'm not afraid!" he suddenly burst out. Lyra stopped bewildered, but the boy seemed to immediately regret his actions and feel afraid. "I…I'm sorry Lyra…I didn't mean to yell."

"It's alright, but why do you say that?" she inquired politely.

"It's…it's just that…" began Markl fidgeting his fingers, "it's just that when I was four years old, my father had died and I was sent to live with my uncle. My uncle was mean because he used to hit us when he was drunk. One night he got so drunk that I had to run and hide for hours under the bed where he couldn't find me and I could hear him yelling at my mom in the room asking where I was. When I had gotten older, he began to use my mother as bait. He would tell me from somewhere in the house, 'Markl, if you don't come out, I will hurt your mother'."

Lyra said nothing and while she nodded silently to his chilling tale and looked at him sympathetically, inside she was flinching at the idea that a little boy like him had suffered much abuse when he was younger.

"Then" Said Markl as he continued his story and by now fresh tears were beginning to form, "I…I was too…too scared to g…go down b…but I did and when I…I told him to l…let go of m…my mom, he just l…laughed. I wanted him t…to stop so I…did a b…bad thing and kicked h…him. He pushed m…my mom and tried g…grabbing me but c…couldn't. I r…ran away b…but when I looked b…back he…killed her w…with the knife…"

He could finish no more as Lyra abruptly took him in her arms as he bawled his heart out.

"I…I d…don't w…want to be a…afraid any…m…more…"

Lyra was almost on the verge of tears herself just hearing him cry and recounting his horrific tale. She rubbed small circles and said kind soothing words. When he finally broke away, she handed him a handkerchief.

"You know what Markl? You're a very brave boy because you never gave up trying to live and you fought things that many kids your age would not have been able to do. You stood up to your uncle even when you were weak and you…you fought him."

"But I…I don't want to hide anymore-I want to fight!"

"Don't worry," said Lyra coaxingly, "You can't do anything right now with you in that state, you look like you're feeling sick."

"M…my stomach isn't feeling good." He groaned clutching it.

A sudden suspicion came to her: "Markl, when was the last time you ate?"

"two days since last morning…"

"Oh my word!" said Lyra very alarmed with her green eyes dilating "You need to eat, you must be starving!"

"D…do you have anything to eat?" he asked her weakly.

"Of course," she said hurriedly taking him by the hand towards the direction of the kitchens. You can get whatever you want there."

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Lyra took Markl to get some food and smiled at his reaction finding the plate suddenly filling with food. He was also very startled that the plate had seemed to fill with the exact same foods that he had thought up of in his mind.

"How did you do that?" he asked amazed, like a little child going to see a delightful magic show.

"Do what?" said Lyra coming over. (She had moved off to the side in order to give him some peace).

"Make the food on my plate appear and disappear!"

Lyra thought for a moment, "I did not do magic, the plate fills itself once a person asks for what he or she wants to eat."

"So you're not a witch?"

Lyra laughed aloud startling him a little, "No, no I'm not Markl. I'm not a witch," She said smiling.

"But, why is your house like this?" he cocked his head making him look like a puppy dog.

Lyra chuckled again, "This is my house, but it's not just mine-someone else has been living longer than I here."

"You…you don't? But-whose house did it belong to first?"

As if in answer to his questions, there came a sudden small creak of a door opening and a voice, "To me." Markl looked towards the voice while Lyra whipped her head to look behind.

Slenderman, elegant in his usual day attire stepped into the room standing at the entrance to look upon him.

"Colin!" she said in surprise, that he should come here without warning. Markl looked at first alarmed, but then incredulous with his wide brown eyes.

"W…what is that…I mean-w...who are you, sir and what happened to your face?" Markl asked gazing up the pale seemingly blank face. Lyra looked at Markl in amazement; wasn't he scared at all? Slenderman however, started laughing.

"ah..oho, no dear child-I have no face!" he said looking as if he was grinning while the boy was simply staring at him bewildered.

"N…no face..?" he managed weakly.

"Well, I did have a face, but that was two-hundred years ago and I am afraid dear child that it's a long story." Replied Colin brushing off lightly a piece of lint that was stuck to his suit.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir," said Markl timidly, "M…my name is Mark. Mark Pavela."

"Well, Markl, nice to meet you!" he said sticking a slender arm towards him in a shake which the boy took a bit hesitantly, "though I must say, you are the first young child I have seen that did not run or scream when you saw me."

Upon hearing these words, Markl seemed to brighten perceptively and a warm cheery smile was found on his face. "Thank you…thank you sir!"

"There are some things we need to tell you about though, "said Colin solemnly as they finished. Markl's face which seemed content had vanished slightly.

"There have been main reports of people disappearing in these parts, and word goes around that they are mainly children. Months ago, it started in Ukraine. Now, children have gone missing from here too. It is not safe for you to be wandering alone by yourself when there are much more dangerous things happening."

As Lyra heard Colin talking, she noticed that Markl had turned a paler white but had a determined expression with lips tight. His eyes seemed to be looking strangely almost as if he knew something they didn't. "Markl, are you alright? Did you know about this?"

The young boy gave a sigh and half turning to look at a glass vase on the table determinedly so he wouldn't look at them said, "Yes. Yes I do." Lyra and Colin exchanged looks of concern.

"What is it that you don't want to tell us?" said Lyra softly.

The boy turned to look at them suddenly with a hurt and grieved expression that seemed to tear them apart. In one of Markl's eyes, a tear went slowly down his cheek."Because…because my cousin was taken from them."

Lyra gaped hearing this."Do you know who did it?" she asked in a hushed voice staring at him intently. The boy gave one sniff and turned to wipe his face deftly on his sleeve.

"_They_ took her-the mean guys who tried taking me too-I want to find them so I can kill them." He said rage in his eyes before finishing his sentence:

"The Black Cobra Society!"


	4. The Black Cobra Society

**Wow I really haven't updated at all and I feel bad for making you guys all wait because I know exactly how it feels when you wish for someone to update soon. But anyway here it is.**

**Chapter 4- The Black Cobra Society**

There was silence between the three of them. Lyra stared blankly at Markl, as did Colin-though more blankly than what was usually on his face.

"Black…Cobra Society…?" she said slowly and she and Colin exchanged worried looks.

"Yes." Markl said quickly darting his eyes between the pair of them as though worried they wouldn't believe them. "The…the Black Cobra Society…"

"What is in the…Black Cobra Society?" she asked encouraging Markl to go on, "Is it a society like some kind of secret police?"

"No! It's…It's…nothing like that at all!" he exclaimed looking alarmed. "The Black Cobra Society is not a police or anything! They are…a group of people who take others from their homes…"Colin gave a gasp of surprise next to her, but Markl continued. "The thing is, they kidnap little children…little children like me."

Lyra stared flabbergasted at Markl; if she knew what she thought was true-it was that this so-called Cobra Society was responsible for the kidnappings of small children." She looked again at Colin to find that he must have thought the same as her.

"And what do these…people do to children like yourself?" Colin asked, with a hand in thinking pose as if deep in thought.

"They…they make them work from what I knew." He said a bit hesitantly, and Lyra got the chance to intercept.

"How did you even know that they were working?" she asked a bit confused. "If you weren't caught, then whatever gave you that answer that they were kidnapped just for that?"

Markl opened his mouth as though to say something and perhaps in alarm as he realized he might have said something he shouldn't have. It took a few seconds for him to gather his repose.

"The…the thing is…"he started to say slowly and he looked at his feet while doing so, while Colin and Lyra looked down at him worriedly, "The thing is…remember that I said that I was running from the man dressed in a clown suit?"

"Yes, you did say that, but what does that have to do with it?"

Markl took a deep breath, "the reason why the guy was trying to capture me was because I overheard their plans by accident one night when I had escaped from my uncle and wandered into the woods. After some time I was wandering, I came to a hut in the middle of the woods to stay and it was around midnight when I heard two footsteps approaching in the woods. My first impulse was to wait until they got settled in their house before showing myself to them-but then I knew after, that it was the last thing I wanted."

Lyra and Colin simply stared at him while he went on with his tale. It was absurd to think that a small child like him was all by himself with no one the wiser to know if he were to get kidnapped or killed. Colin went on:

"Anyway, I heard their conversation: one of the guys sounded like he was from another country-he spoke in a different accent. But the other guy spoke British and could tell that he was the like the boss. They were saying something about trying to find "more of them" and kept saying that they should use better tactics so that they wouldn't get caught. Well, it suddenly occurred to me that the "more of them" they were referring to were actually _children_, and they were putting them to work to find something and that's when I panicked."

"Well, it's a good thing that you didn't alert them of your presence the moment they got in the house." Colin added reassuringly, but Markl gave them a weak smile.

"Well, yes I guess-but then one of them somehow found out that there was someone in the house with them. I had accidently dropped something and they must have heard it. I knew it wouldn't be safe so I went near the window by the room-(it's a sort of two story hut by the way) and I managed to crawl out safely. I wouldn't have been found out had the other guy not stayed downstairs. He yelled out as I escaped through the window and that was my cue to start running so they wouldn't catch me. I've been escaping since then."

Lyra's mouth was open in horror hearing Markl's true side of the story, yet she was also curious with the men who had come at night where he was hiding. They talked about getting more children? And what for? She had many unanswered questions still in her head.

"But what about the man in a clown costume?" asked Colin. "You think he could have been one of those men?"

Markl looked doubtful. "I don't know-the men I was eavesdropping on had almost the same voice as him."

"I think it would make sense that it would be the same man-right?" Lyra said with sudden thought. "I mean, one of them might have seen Markl's face and recognized him. They didn't want anybody to know their secret whereabouts so that's why they tried hunting him down-so he wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Precisely what I was thinking!" exclaimed Colin enthusiastically. "And-they might have tried to lure Markl by acting innocently-like a funny clown in a circus!"

"I'm sorry.' Said Markl bringing his hands to hug himself, "I'm sorry for not trusting you at first by not telling you the whole story…I just wasn't sure whether I should trust strangers."

Lyra felt immediately sympathetic by his words and shaking her hand in an offhand tone, "oh no it's fine…poor you-you were out in the woods alone-it's a miracle that you didn't get caught!"

Markl managed to give a small toothy grin that somehow made him look like a younger child. "They can't catch me-I'm good at getting away!" Lyra and Colin exchanged rolled eyes of amusement unbeknownst to Markl as he looked away. _What a sneaky little kid_ she thought in amusement.

"Be it sneaky or not," Colin replied with a little smile, "It is dangerous for you to wander away from these woods, so you are free to stay here as long as you like." Markl blinked his eyes several times as though in surprise.

"Did…did you say these woods were yours?"

"Of course they are, besides while you are here, nothing bad can happen to you here while we are around." He gave a smile to Lyra which she returned. She had always liked Colin's sympathy towards other people no matter where they came from.

"Really? I can stay-are…are you sure about that err…sir?" Markl said slightly timidly as though he were joking. His eyes which had been spilling with tears before were now wide with excitement.

"Of course you can!" Lyra said encouragingly and slightly ruffling the younger boy's head playfully. Her heart feeling like it can float on a cloud seeing the goodness they were doing in protecting people in need. "Now come on, I want to show you the rest of the house!"

"Ok, I want to see!" the boy said enthusiastically, bringing back once again his childish manner. "Is it like a mansion where there are ghosts and spirits?"

Lyra gave him a spooky smile as though being mysterious. "You know there is one place, but if you _really_ want to know…

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Colin told them shortly that he needed to do business somewhere and before he teleported away on the spot, told them to enjoy. Lyra knew where he had gone: he probably was out somewhere in the forest to see whether there was anybody who would come.

But for the rest of the time, Lyra was busy showing Markl all around the big manor house all which was accompanied by "ooohs" and "ahhhs" from the small child. Everything she showed him, he was curious and wanted to investigate it. Curiously there were a few things that even Lyra had not discovered even though she had been living for several months. For example, with the help of Markl, they discovered that there was some kind of secret passage that led to the fireplace in one of the houses.

"This house is cool!" he exclaimed after they had come out of it. There were however, secret passages that Lyra had knew from being told by Colin, and she begun showing some which ended up leading them to the library-the grandest part of the house.

"I didn't have a library where we were at ever," said Markl when they had come to a bookshelf. "My mommy did show me how to read even though my uncle wouldn't let me and...

Lyra smiled fondly at Markl and looking through the shelves which contained the genre of mythical and fantastical beasts. _Dragons, Phoenix, Goblins, Selkies, Sphinx, the Slenderman…_

_Wait…Slenderman? _She chanced a look at Markl who was busy looking at the books and talking at the same time.

"…so obviously I couldn't read and then I found this book that had been thrown out…

Lyra reached for the book that was crimson and had gold labeled lettering, _"The Legendary Slenderman-Myth or Man?"_ She knew right away that it was ancient-probably several hundred years old. She chanced a look at Markl to see him absorbed in a book and reading it aloud as though demonstrating his capability to read. He looked like the excited happy child that he was. She turned back to stare at the volume in front then she flipped the pages of the strange volume, a sudden strange feeling coming in her body.

She leafed through the pages to find word after word in strange curlicue handwriting. There were several pictures too almost cartoonlike -a man who seemed to venture through woods and caves alone with a scared expression on his face. In another picture it showed a man frozen with a shriek of horror on his face as though looking at something terrifying. But there was one picture that stood out most of all-a man in the forest at night whose face was to the viewer, but whose eyes wandered away to something behind him-something behind a tree. She squinted and saw through the page a strange thin-like creature with a suit and tie and long bony arms reaching for him with the caption underneath- _**A slender chance of escape**_.

The Slenderman.

Lyra searched through the pages frantically fascinated; Colin had never told her that here lied in the library, a book all about the Slenderman- which was precisely what he was, so why hadn't he? She stole another quick glance to find Markl sitting on a seat near the far end of the library eagerly reading an interesting story no doubt.

She turned the pages some more, a strange sense of foreboding coming to her thumping heart, _What is the Slenderman?, Slenderman Encounters, Myths about the Slenderman, Reparation…_she leafed through those because she somehow knew about them, but she didn't know about the next chapter that came next: _The Bride of Slenderman and Child Bearing…_she kept it at that page and with a deep breath, started to read to herself:

_The Slenderman has always been known as a peculiar and bizarre being indeed more than the belief of dragons or any mythical being existing. Nevertheless, no soul knows whether the so-called Slenderman had ever first existed or whether it is actually a creature, much less an entity created from the mind. Though, it is however, seen through history that it is capable of creating its own offspring through a female human which happens in very rare cases. The Slenderman must see something within the woman that he fancies or else he won't care at all and move to the next woman, since it would not do if she were to not be strong enough for childbearing. However, if the Slenderman does find a woman, he makes her his Proxy-the most valuable tool in his affairs to get rid of the evil-doers in the world. Little is known about the kind of relationship he has to his female Proxy, and any attempts to have tried have failed. As to childbearing, it is known that childbearing follows a slower process than normal humans'. The Proxy might not be aware that she is pregnant until after so much as four months pass and give birth actually in the fifth month. Though she will see some very early effects kicking in at the second month range, the child will continue to grow inside her. The child that is conceived remains a mystery…will he look like his father: a tall face-less stranger to have walked the earth, or his mother: one with a face and body of a normal human? Speculations on page 256…._

Lyra stopped reading and put the book back on the shelf as though it were something she did not particularly want to see. Very faintly, she could feel her hands slightly shaking and all thought of where she was at this moment quickly evaporated from her mind.

So she was a Proxy. No surprise there, but she had never actually considered what would happen if she were-no…_they_ were to have children. What would they actually look like? Colin or her-or maybe both? According to the book, nobody knew-at least not the author. They never said _what_ the children looked like after all, and Lyra kept getting the image in her head of her clutching a baby with no face and pale white…

"Lyra?"

She jumped at the voice who turned out to be Markl. He was holding a book to his chest and looking at her warily through his large brown eyes as though frightened by her outburst.

"Lyra…are you okay, you looked serious." He said timidly. Lyra realized that Markl might have been watching her carefully, and she adjusted her expression as though nothing was wrong.

"No Markl nothing is wrong," she said, adding a smile, "Now, have you found any books you liked?" she asked trying to change the subject.

Markl seemed to have become distracted like she was before and within seconds, his face changed into an excited squeal. "Yes, I found a reeeeaallly cool book about dragons? That's really amazing-I've only heard my mommy long time ago tell me stories about them!"

"Wow, that's really terrific," she said trying to ignore the information she found out before. The pair of them were exiting the library; Markl, his head practically buried in his new exciting book rambling on and on about the paragraphs in the books.

"Hey Lyra, do you think that dragons are real/" he asked absentmindedly looking at a picture of a knight on horse fighting a large green dragon.

Before replying, Lyra looked sideways before exiting the library at a mirror that showed her side image staring back at her. With a hand she ran it alongside her stomach which she could see sure enough, was slightly bulged, but enough to look invisible.

"It's possible…anything can be true you know…


	5. Into the City at Night

**Surprise! Another chapter! *balloons and confetti exploding all over the place* To try to redeem myself, I thought of this one on the way so you would not be left with any unfair cliffhangers! Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 5- Into the City at Night**

For the next several days, Lyra and Colin grew used to the company of Markl. It was usually just Lyra and Colin before, but now that they had a third person…err kid, it somehow made the manor a whole lot livelier.

Markl seemed to have evolved from the timid child she had met days ago into a happy and vivacious one: he would badger her to come with him to the library _everyday_ just so he could show her and read to her interesting passages out various books he read while she stayed next to him. Lyra didn't mind at all; she had never actually taken care of children much less babysat before, but she thought that if she were to ever do it, she would enjoy as much as what she was doing with Markl. After every volume came down the shelves day after day, it seemed as though Markl was dangerously turning into an avid reader, capable of remembering long passages from the books whether it be about arbitrary subjects such as how to operate generators, pipe works, levers, or simply ways to identify different plant herbs, he was becoming a child scholar at the tender age of nine.

Though she was content with Markl's presence, she could not help but realize that there was something in the back of her head that was aching to escape. She began to repeatedly think about the man that had tried to kidnap Markl. Could it be that the man who had dressed in a clown costume was the same man that Markl had witnessed on the night where he stayed at the house? Lyra had a strong sensation that it was the same man, but yet the mystery of why they were trying to kidnap children remained unsolved. For what purpose would they capture large populations of children for? Markl had said for labor force, but Lyra thought it seemed bizarre. Why kidnap children for labor force when you could have older people to do it? _Then again_, she realized, _it would probably be much easier to control children who were not capable of fighting back like older people._

There was also another problem-a much recent one: She was going to have a child. She didn't know how the mere thought slipped her mind after she had been together with Colin for several months, but now that she had read the book-most preferably, one about the specific Slenderman, it opened up her mind to the possible issues of childbearing. She obviously didn't exactly look pregnant-yet the book had specifically said that the pregnancy would kick in in about the third month and it would be the fourth month when she would _really _notice it before the fifth month came. She somehow felt obligated to check the book out to find more. What if there was something missing in it?

She decided to put the thought in the back of her head. She shouldn't be feeling this way about a newborn on the way-it wasn't like she didn't know what she was doing-she knew perfectly well that she was going to be expecting, and what's more: She should be happy about it. _Maybe I'll check the book out later again _she thought, _I might have missed something-who knows? It may be important…_

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Colin, Markl, and she, were sitting by the table one morning eating a delicious breakfast of chocolate crepes and pancakes with fruit as the early dawn seeped in through the kitchen window. Markl had already had two crepes and was going on for a third when Colin suddenly spoke.

"I have an idea! Would you like to visit the forest today, Markl?" asked Colin cheerfully after sipping some delicious earl grey tea.

Markl, whose mouth was filled with fruit and pancakes, swallowed quickly, "F…forest?"

"Of course, you haven't been everywhere in the forest, have you? The forest is not exactly the same as all other forests!" Colin replied brightly and flashing a smile in Lyra's direction who blushed; "Why-even Lyra hasn't seen everything yet!"

I haven't?" asked Lyra confused.

"Yes! I wanna go…I wanna go!" exclaimed Markl excitedly with his mouth full.

"Oh…alright…" said Lyra jokingly, "But you better swallow first Markl or you're going to choke yourself to death…

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If Colin and Lyra thought that Markl couldn't get any more excited, they were wrong-he looked at _everything_ and _touched_ everything his hands could get on. Markl was so fast and quick, always darting from one thing to the next that Colin had to frequently use his tentacles to propel him away from danger; one of those, including a big spider the size of a chicken's egg, and something that looked like poisonous oak. But apart from that, he simply would not stop staring and examining. While Markl would be wandering off to catch butterflies in the Field of Eternal Flowers, she and Colin lay in the jungle of forests talking and resting, and sometimes just staring up at the sky while he stroked her hair fondly.

When they came back inside, it was nearly 3'oclock where they had a quick hasty late lunch of sandwiches and shepherd's pie. They had been so busy playing and laughing that they lost track of time. Before they knew it, time had passed to soon-to-be nightfall where they could see the sun disappearing over the horizon to the point where it was just barely twilight. This was the time where Lyra could eventually come back into the city to search for news. Unfortunately since they lived far out of the range of the city, there wasn't a chance to get any news, much less a newspaper around. Lyra liked to get them and bring them back because it was always interesting to hear what was going on in the outside world.

"I'll be back an hour after midnight." She whispered to the Slenderman around eight o'clock (Markl was in bed), "Just going out again."

Colin seemed to look worried for a moment, "Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean- you could probably go in the daytime and…"

"Nope" said Lyra simply as she brought a finger to the area of his mouth as though silencing him, "You know I need a little adventure…" she said mysteriously, "Besides, in the daytime, I feel uncomfortable because everybody seems to stare at me nowadays."

"Well, judging that the reason is because people are attracted to your gorgeous face," he said slyly, bringing his hand to link around her back as he nearly swept her off her feet to kiss her, "I quite understand it."

"Oh...you-"she said playfully bringing her hand to tilt his chin into another kiss before straightening up again, "You're comebacks just never cease do they?"

"Nope," said Colin in a devilishly cute voice, but he seemed to be serious again, "But seriously, I do wish you be careful-especially at the night."

"Will do." She said and teleporting from the spot.

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Within several hours, Lyra was surprised she had reached the city. She had no trouble at all slipping through some of the gates, thanks to her teleporting abilities, but finding a paper was hard. Everywhere she looked, she tried finding a trash can bin that wasn't soiled with garbage. She wasn't about to read from something that had part of a banana peel stuck to it, or some foul rotting smell that had a scent suspiciously like dog dung. She was doing so, too, in the dark. If she didn't have the special night vision she acquired from Colin, it definitely would have taken hours more.

Though she had powers, she looked back anyway to see no one could catch sight of her. She didn't want to take any chances with the night police patrolling some of the areas. If she _were_ to get caught, then there would be no telling next when she would come back. She could defend herself against a policeman-even if he were armed since Colin had taught her some moves to fight, but it was that mere fact that made her apprehensive. If she injured a cop, her face would be all over the wanted pictures or there would be some papers with her description-which was the last thing she wanted.

After what seemed like an hour, she finally had the luck to spot one underneath an old radiator near a shop. Without a sound, she picked up the paper, making sure to still be in the dark shadows. Ever since she had acquired powers, she felt safer in the dark and also more secure. It was a strange thing, but the dark shadows were like her friend than enemy which always hid her away from others without detection.

She turned into a dark alley and was just considering going off in a different direction to find something else when a sound caught her attention. She froze in the darkness, and with her super senses, became aware that the sound was coming at the fork intersection end of the alleyway. As silent as a cat she thought of turning back when a man's voice caught her attention-actually several men's voices. Who on earth was up at this time? She didn't think it was police for that manner-they were in an area where they didn't patrol and by the sound of it, it didn't seem like they wanted to get caught anyway. Her curiosity got the better of her and she edged on closer with her back to the wall so she could peek out from the corner. She could barely discern four figures silhouetted against the near darkness twenty steps from where she was and she tried listening. The men's outline looked built for fighting except the man in the far left who looked rather pudgy. With her ear in the general direction, she could hear one of the men speak in a whisper:

"So, the plan seemed to be working," said the man on the far right.

"That's right, but we need to wait for orders when to strike for more," said the other, and Lyra could tell by his sharp tone that he meant business.

"Did any of you actually remember that we have to get rid of someone?" asked the pudgy man in a gruff voice as though annoyed.

"What about it?"

"Well," he said, "that annoying little tyke that had eavesdropped on us the other day-didn't you remember, Rufor?"

"Ah…yes-yeah what about it, Bart?" asked the man Rufor, as he cracked his knuckles, "so what? We try to capture him!"

"Yeah...great job trying to lure him with a carnival disguise of a clown!" said a man who hadn't spoken before: he had a strange tone of voice with an accent…like he was from a different country…

It took a moment to process what the men had just said when suddenly, a horrible thought came to her: _They were talking about Markl!_ _These were the men who had just tried kidnapping Markl! _She wracked her ears frantically to try to hear more of the conversation.

"Aw, shaddup, so I made a mistake! No matter, because de kid isn't going to come back to the city or we'll kidnap him like all the rest of de kids."

There was a silence from the men, and Lyra could see that some of them had begun to smoke a pipe and exhaling the smoke into the thick dark night air. Then they spoke again:

"Ya better be sure that kid ain't gonna come back or de boss'll be angry " hissed Bart, "Besides, it's no matter because I just had one of my men scout the place an hour before and he should be back with us in no time at all."

Lyra was just considering adjusting her position standing when she felt something within her range of senses interrupt her-she could feel a presence of someone approaching…someone it seemed, from behind her in the dark alley.

Lyra paused in alarm and very slightly, turned her head to look back. If it wasn't for her keen night vision, she wouldn't have been able to barely distinguish the dark outline of a man walking silently through the mist and hurrying in the direction of where she was.

With a sickening feeling of panic, she realized that she had nowhere to go-she was trapped if she would try to run past. She could do that, but it would alarm the men even more and make them disappear. She didn't want to scare them away or give away her position after what she heard. If she were to just lay down quietly behind these old crates lying on the side…

Without a moment's hesitation, she ducked and with the agility of a cat, bent low to crouch behind them. A few agonizing seconds had passed…would the man see her?

The noise of soft footfalls came closer, and by now, Lyra's heart was pumping frantically that she hoped it wouldn't give her away-but he didn't; the man simply passed by in the direction of the group of men and she heard the guy say something in a whisper to them. Lyra almost felt like sighing out loud-she had not been discovered it was a miracle! She moved slightly near the wall as quiet as a mouse to listen again:

"Where the devil have you been, Reese?" Lyra heard the accent-sounded man whisper angrily, "We thought you had been caught or gone off pissing time!"

"Not quite, said the newcomer Reese, "While you men were busy here getting fat, I managed to get do a little hunting-found another of them kids!"

The other men exchanged silent glees of guffaws as though impressed, then Reese spoke up again, "it's perfect because we'll be able to get outta this area quicker since there doesn't seem to be any more kiddies here! The sooner we leave this place, the better. I'm getting sick of seeing this ugly city and its annoying people!"

"Don't worry, mate" said Bart chuckling a bit, "We'll all dispatch in exactly three days from now. What we'll do is meet here on the third day of July near the outskirts of this town here-the west side where they have the water fountain that never works-that will be the place to dispatch! The boss sent out some of his men on cars to pick us up-then they will take us straight to the sea where we will board a boat that'll send us to Brussels. Then from Brussels, we will be taken to Bordeaux."

"Perfect-that'll give us enough time to get away long before anybody finds out where we take them!"

Lyra's eyes widened at this-they were planning to kidnap the kids and take them overseas!

"Ah, just curious, but why does the boss need kids in the first place?" asked Reese as he twiddled his beard.

Lyra edged closer to hear, since she had always wondered to.

"The boss eh...let's just say that it's top secret. But I do know one thing: I did hear a guy in the inner circle say that he was using them to dig up something ancient….like something that had been lost for a long time."

"Hogwash," said Bart scoffing as he spat on the ground, "That ain't the truth I bet!"

Lyra had gotten enough of this; noiselessly she got up from the place and tiptoed quietly back the way she came from, her heart racing. She didn't want to catch the guys on the spot-what good would that do? All would be ruined because the guy made it sound like there were much more people involved in their scheme and capturing them now would only raise alarm. It seemed that she had indeed found out the very people responsible for the kidnappings. Now if only she could tell Colin…

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When Lyra got back, she found Colin in the armchair near the fire with his slender hands in his lap as if in a prayer position. The moment he heard Lyra, he jumped up and rushed over to her in one quick motion and brought her in an embrace with one hand massaging the back of her head.

"Oh my goodness, do you have any idea how worried you made me feel?" he said in a concerned and slightly shaky voice, "I thought you had been kidnapped-I was about to come get you!" he said and kissed both her cold cheeks that had been exposed to the night air one by one before planting one quick one in her lips, "Thank God you're alright!"

Lyra smiled before replying, "It's a good thing you didn't come get me-otherwise, they might have found me out."

"What do you mean?"He asked.

Well…you see…" said Lyra now in a serious tone, "You know those kidnappings that have been going on? I found out more information."

And she told him all she had witnessed.


	6. Chapter 6-We Must Go!

**Guys, sooooo sorry for not updating in a while. Been busy with college work and stuff so…yeah…anyways without further ado, here is the next chapter. Hope you haven't forgotten what happened. **

**Chapter 6- "We Must Go!"**

"I guess it was a lucky decision of you to go out at night." said Colin at the breakfast table the next morning. After an eventful discussion last night in which Lyra told him all she knew, he had been shocked not to mention greatly relieved that nothing had happened to her and was even more curious to what the men said while Lyra was eavesdropping on them.

"So my theory _was _correct-they are all part of the disappearance of those children that have gone missing in other countries. And now, all they're going to do is sail away in a ship with their 'valuables to-'"

"And that's a problem if they're going to do it." Lyra finished sadly as Markl entered the room yawning. He had on a white nightshirt complete for pajamas and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Good morning," he said blinking both eyes before sitting down at the table and reaching for some croissants. Lyra and Colin both looked at him as though worried; _had he overheard?_

"Good morning Markl, did you sleep well last night?" asked Lyra cheerfully as she reached for a blueberry muffin from the small plate. "Any problems sleeping?"

"Nope, none at all, thank you" said Markl as he reached for the butter knife and looking at her with a smile. "By the way, what were you guys talking about?" he asked curiously.

Lyra's expression turned to one of sudden concern, "oh, _that…_well Markl, um…well you see-

"She met someone who had been after a certain someone," answered Colin quickly looking at Lyra with a little smirk, who returned one back with a half-irritated and half-amused expression. Markl however, choked on a croissant he was eating and Colin had to give him several thumps on the back for him to clear his throat. When he finally regained voice, he gave a hoarse thank-you to Colin and stared hard at the pair of them back and forth as though he were just told he were to go to the gallows.

"Wh…w…what..? You…you MET the bad guy who tried kidnapping me?" he said a little alarmed and scared, "How…how did you find him?"

"Oh well you see…" and she reiterated everything she had told Colin. When she was done, Lyra certainly hadn't expected Markl to clench his teeth in anger and ball his fists.

"Those…those terrible people took away kids! Kids that should have their mommy and daddies-and they…they took them away!"

"We know," said Colin grimly, "Child, do not cry, all is not over yet." He put a comforting arm around Markl.

"How are we going to stop them then?" asked Markl despairingly.

Colin shook his head sadly, "I'm afraid I don't know, but don't worry, we'll think of something," But even while he said it, he looked over at Lyra as though he wanted to say something to her.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

To Lyra's surprise, Colin had asked them if they would like to journey up to the mountains that very afternoon, which Markl responded excitedly with approval. In no time at all, they left and for a few hours of crossing the forest, they finally reached the great alpines in the west.

The travel was medium and it took all day with rests in between, but reaching the top was well worth the view that greeted them after. Lyra and Colin could have teleported themselves up of course, but it was for Markl's sake that they took the time to show him around. Great purple asters and mountain lilies spread out like a blanket to the travelers, almost showering them with the sweet delicate aroma of nature. As much Lyra had been living here for two months, she could never see enough beauty that Mother Nature had to offer that hadn't been spoiled by human contact. As the trio reached the top, the sun was about to disappear from the far off mountain peaks. The sun's rays sent all the colors of the rainbow-red, yellow, orange, the dreamy blue above it, and even green.

Though Lyra knew Markl was captivated by the scene, she knew better why Colin had decided to bring them up here; he was trying to distract them all from the incident from before and have time to think about other things. Colin's blank face behind Markl (who was busy pointing at the spectacular view) turned towards her as though smiling, and she returned one too.

Since it was going to soon get dark, they had decided to walk back. With Markl in the rear jumping and running through the grass chasing fireflies, Lyra walked front silently. She had felt odd today: almost as if she knew that there was something in her brain that was trying to tell her something. It had been about the earlier events in the morning with the kidnappers who were planning to leave. How could they catch them when-

Wait- _them..?_

She realized that all this time while she was pondering the earlier events, this specific idea was what kept her thinking this whole time. What if _they_ as in Colin and her, were to go after them instead? It was the only plausible choice they had: if she were to go to a police, they would catch the men and that would be it. From what she eavesdropped, it seemed like there were other men involved from other countries. If they were to catch the men now, all would be lost-they would have no more leads and the children that were kidnapped would be long lost…

And what would happen to Markl? He had no parents, no home; She and Colin were the only people who knew about him and she doubted that he would have survived if it had not been for both of them. In a way, it was a little like fate-they had saved Markl from despair and had in the meantime gathered new information about the whereabouts of the kidnappers…

After half an hour, she detached herself from her thoughts to look back at her companions. Colin was several feet behind walking smoothly through the now nearly dark forest where it was lit by hundreds of different fireflies. Unlike regular forests, where yellow light was illuminated by the fireflies, these types emitted different colors: of bright green, electric blue, ruby red, and a magnificent purple. In fact, if they flew in certain ways, you could almost swear that they outlined different shapes like the constellations in the night sky. It was a truly wonderful sight that Markl should see.

And speaking of Markl…

"Where is Markl?" Lyra asked Colin.

Colin simply motioned his downwards at something he was carrying. He carried it as lightly and easily as if he were carrying a small delicate package. A pink tired face of a small boy with brown hair tossed in all directions-Markl. He was fast asleep as Colin held him in his arms lightly, determined not to make a sound.

Lyra smiled at the scene. She didn't know Colin could be so gentle with children, but perhaps it was because she had always known him to be the strong fighter type that it was a bit of a shock to see him like that. But, she was glad she had got to see this side of him with people other than her.

When they had at last reached home by teleportation, they both entered quietly through the front oak doors where the light immediately greeted them. Colin mumbled something quietly about putting Markl into bed, leaving Lyra to nod her head and smile after the sight of him carrying the small kid. Really, who ever knew he could be so good around children? Walking quietly, she passed the library where she and Markl had read here for so long. The memory brought a smile once again to her face.

As she passed by the Mythical Beasts section, a sudden flash of memory of the book she had read several days ago appeared unexpectedly-the book about the Slenderman.

She scanned her eyes around the side of the left side of the shelf where she knew it must contain the book she was looking for. Now was a perfect time to check it out like she wished, just in case she had missed something vital.

With a sigh of relief, she found the book she was looking for: _The Legendary Slenderman: Man or Myth?_ She pried the book open and skimmed through the chapters in hopes that she could find it, but then she found another page that caught her attention:

_It just so happens that according to the few people who know about the Slenderman, there is possibly one solution to rid the Slenderman of his hideous terrifying form. It requires a powerful spell indeed that with the combination of brute force and energy, are enough to switch the form of it into a human-like one. But it is tricky to-_

Lyra stopped reading and skimmed the pages some more. That was quite interesting, but not one that she was looking for…

Finally she reached the chapter entitled _The Bride of Slenderman and Child Bearing _and she came to a page at random and read quickly:

_It so happens that after consummation, the Proxy's senses will be begin to sharpen five times that of a pregnant human, enabling them to maximum performance and giving them heightened senses. However, there is a drawback: the more power she uses, the more it drains her of her strength, ultimately nearly drugging her numb for hours until she regains strength and stamina back. Therefore if one is the Proxy, they must exercise caution and care to not use up much strength…_

Lyra stopped reading, staring at the pages deep in thought. She had always known she had powers, but she never knew that she, as a Proxy had heightened powers five times that of a woman about to go through childbirth. Lyra had a sudden image of herself fighting enemies while her stomach was as big and round as a watermelon bouncing from the fighting. The thought almost made her laugh.

It was perhaps very good that she had decided to come back to read more from the book, because that last part of information about preserving powers during pregnancy was very vital. What if she were to use a lot of power and end up unconscious? She sighed, putting the book back in the shelf and walking to the exit. She was turning her head one last time to look at the room, when she felt Colin's presence and turned around to find him leaning slightly against the wall as though studying her silently.

"A little sad are we?" said Slenderman chuckling, giving what Lyra thought, a little smile. "Are you alright, Lyra?"

Lyra gave a little nod, "yes…I mean…not really…I was just thinking about the men who had tried to kidnap Markl." Colin straightened up slightly and seemed to be looking at her closely.

"Yes, about that, I thought we might reach that conversation," he said, seeming to smirk.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" began Colin slowly, "do you know anybody who knows where their whereabouts are?"

Lyra shook her head sadly, "no I don't."

"Anybody at all?" Colin probed. There was something odd about the way he was inquiring her, like he was trying to tell her something…

"Well, there's us but- suddenly, Colin put a finger to her lips for her to pause. She could almost see a smile discerning in his pale blank face.

"_There's us"_ repeated Colin, "exactly."

Lyra looked at him blankly for a few seconds not understanding. But then, she widened her eyes.

"You mean…_we _should do something about it?" she asked anxiously, "but…but is it possible?"

"I'm sure we can…Lyra, you are brave and strong and I believe we should use our strength together to solve this case," he said, bringing a hand to embrace her.

"Is that why you kept smiling at me this whole afternoon?" she asked suddenly smiling herself.

In reply, he mirrored her expression and gave her a kiss on the head before taking her in his arms, "I hoped that you would say yes and consider."

Lyra returned it and looked up at him smiling widely: "Then my answer is yes."


End file.
